Ex-Husky Pindell makes history in FCF league
Taking a live snap and eluding tacklers for the first time in more than two years, former UConn quarterback David Pindell scored the first touchdown in Fan Controlled Football history Saturday at Infinite Energy Arena in suburban Atlanta.
He dropped back, rushed right, cut left and dived into the end zone for a team named the Glacier Boyz. The play, not all that different from some of his best at Rentschler Field in 2017 and 2018, was called via vote by fans watching a live stream on Twitch while “coaching” on the league’s mobile app.
“It’s better than I thought it would be,” said Pindell, who as a senior set UConn’s single-season quarterback rushing record with 1,139 yards. “I was telling a receiver that this is a crazy feeling, just getting out on the field and competing again. It put me in a happy place.”
Pindell’s initial instinct was to dismiss FCF as something silly. But through several conversations with famous rapper Quavo, one of the league’s celebrity team owners, he gave up a job as a truck driver in Maryland to take a chance he figured could only help him realize football dreams he still harbors.
“It can’t hurt,” said Pindell, 24. “And they pay.”
FCF is played 7-on-7 on a 50-yard field. Each game takes about an hour, with two 20-minute halves and a running clock. A play runs every 70 seconds or so because the pass — most of the play calls are passes, yes — must be voted on, reach the team sideline and be relayed via headset to the quarterback in the huddle.
“It’s fun,” Pindell said. “It just felt good. I was able to do my thing. When you’re watching football, nobody wants to see you hand the ball off all day. It’s basically throwing touchdowns, back and forth. It’s exciting football.”
It is football, yes, just packaged and developed so differently. It is football overlapping with gaming and fantasy sports. It is football with all kinds of quirky rules — starting with who’s in charge of the way games and an inaugural season play out.
The general public essentially serves as the coach and general manager, drafting teams every Wednesday and calling plays in real time each Saturday from a list of options on a phone. There is no kicking or punting. Every touchdown is followed by a 1-on-1 battle between receiver and defender, with the quarterback having three seconds to throw. Fans vote on game MVPs and best celebration, and both are among incentives for which players can earn bonuses.
Pindell earns $1,450 a game. He is one of eight franchise-tagged players, the only players in the league who remain with the same team throughout the season.
“They saw my UConn highlights,” he said proudly.
Another franchise player is 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. Pindell’s Glacier Boyz faced Manziel’s Zappers Saturday. Because all four of the league’s teams practice together during the week and are living in a bubble, the two quarterbacks have become fast friends.
“Johnny is a good dude,” Pindell said.
FCF announced there were 700,000 total live views for Saturday’s opening games, and the league app was the most-downloaded sports app on the Apple Store between Saturday-Monday. Manziel’s 38-yard run on Zappers’ first play drew over 2 million views on Twitter and Instagram.
FCF features many former Division I players, including former South Florida quarterback Quinton Flowers, and there is a heavy celebrity backing. Team owners include retired NFL running back Marshawn Lynch and former UConn/WNBA player Renee Montgomery (Beasts), Chargers running back Austin Ekeler (Wild Aces) and Mets pitcher Trevor May (Zappers). Quavo is one of three owners of the Glacier Boyz, with NFL cornerback Richard Sherman and Donald De La Haye, AKA “Deestroying,” a famous YouTube personality who was a kicker at Central Florida.
Pindell has spent considerable time on social media since departing UConn in an anxious effort to latch on with a professional team, posting workout videos to Instagram and Twitter. He had several XFL and CFL tryouts canceled due to the pandemic and finally signed a contract in November with the Columbus Lions of the National Arena League.
That season is scheduled to begin in May. Pindell took that job as a truck driver to get by in the meantime.
Then, Quavo reached out — first through Instagram, then with a phone call.
“He said, ‘You still ballin’? You looking to get signed?” Pindell said. “Quavo was like, ‘You should come play for my team.’ I was just like, ‘Is this for real?’ He said it’s going to blow up. At first, I was doubting the idea. I was like, ‘I don’t know, this looks kind of funny.’ I Googled it and it just didn’t look official. I told [Quavo] my agent is probably not going to want me to do this.’”